


Red Trail

by SquawksOfWisdom



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Maybe - Freeform, later on???, more???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-09 01:14:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7781206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquawksOfWisdom/pseuds/SquawksOfWisdom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The constant ringing of Kuroo's phone irked the man to no end. He was trying to study and this was pretty rude?</p><div class="center">
  <p><br/><em>*click*</em><br/>"What?"<br/>"Bro, I need your help, how do you take care of new born kittens?!"<br/>"Bo, what the fuck?"</p>
</div>Scratch that. This might just be more important than studying.
            </blockquote>





	1. Big Red Ants

Kuroo glared at the wall in front of him. It was a good wall. Plain cream. He wasn't the one to choose the color, if it was up to him, he'd probably just painted the whole room red to mess with Kenma. Focusing on that one thought was proving to be hard, however, when _My hips don't lie_ by Shakira continuously rings from the phone on the man's left. Kuroo dragged his glare from the wall towards his phone.

"What the fuck Bo, you know I was studying tonight," Kuroo harshly whispered grabbing the phone with a ferocity before stabbing the green button.

_*click*_

"Bo, what the fuck-"

"Bro, I need your help!"

"Bokuto, what the actual fuck?"  
"This is important! I know you were supposed to study and all but- shit!"

Kuroo heard the phone clatter against the ground, wincing as it echoed in his ear.

"Shit! Okay, so I can't pick it back up, but listen, how do I take care of new born kittens?!"

"Bo, what the _fuck_?"

It was clear this was way more interesting than whatever studying had to offer. And the chance to help save kittens? Kuroo had a heart, after all.

"I don't know, Kuroo! I just heard them meowing really loudly outside and one of them was being swarmed by big red ants!"

Kuroo's eyes narrowed in concern, pressing his lips into a small line. He grabbed the red school jersey he hanged on the back of his chair before opening the door and bidding his mother a quick goodbye, a steady pace bringing him to the train station in a few minutes.

"Bro, I don't know, but I couldn't just leave them! They were all meowing loudly! And I had my _earphones_ on!"

"Bo, calm down a  bit, I'm on my way."

Kuroo turned his head towards the train's loud tooting, instinctively covering his phone's microphone.

"Bo, the train's here, I have to go."

"Just hurry, dude!"

Kuroo sighed, furrowing his brows in thought of what they'd have to do with the kittens and the responsibilities that came with it. "Why'd they have to be outside your house, Bo?" Kuroo thought in exasperation.

* * *

"Bro!" Kuroo thought he had already heard the happiest tone Bokuto could give him a long time ago. He was very wrong. "Bro! Come here, hurry!" Bokuto looked antsy, looking as if he wanted to jump around and wave his hands but something was very obviously holding him back. Kuroo's eyes scanned Bokuto down head to toe, stopping when his eyes gazed at the man's open hands. "Bokuto, are those _kittens_?" Kuroo asked, his tone disbelieving. Bokuto had gotten into an insane amount of shenanigans, but nothing. _Nothing_ would compare to the task they have to face now. Bokuto nodded his head frantically. "Yeah! Dude, I couldn't just leave them there! You know how it is!" "Bo, their eyes are still closed and their ears are still folded, what the _fuck_." Bokuto glared at Kuroo when he uttered the cuss, instinctively bringing the kittens closer to him. "Don't cuss!" Bokuto hissed. "Bo, they can't hear." "No, but they have better instincts than you do! And I'm sure _they_ know how _you're_ doing." He sniffed, turning his head the other way. "Anyways, we have to get them a box first." Kuroo sighed, trudging into Bokuto's house, said man following him with a gentle and careful pace. "You owe me big time for this Bo," Kuroo groaned, slapping a hand to his face and rubbing it in annoyance before letting it fall. "Do you take wages in kittens?" Kuroo wanted to bang his head on the wall. Maybe then he'd be spared from this torture.


	2. Stained Tail

"Bo, where do you keep the boxes?" "Dude, I don't know!" Kuroo felt himself slump against the pile of assorted items in front of him in exasperation. Taking a deep breath, Kuroo straightened his back before giving Bo an annoyed glance. "Bo, can you put them down somewhere first and help me look?" He asked with a non too courteous tone. Bokuto seemed to freeze, his faze flitting down to the kittens in his hand before frowning, his eyebrows furrowing in response. "I... I think I can..." The spiky monochrome haired boy muttered, looking around carefully for a small box or basket to put them into for the meanwhile. Kuroo sighed in relief, returning to rummage through the trash. "Alright, I'm here." Kuroo immediately backed away from Bokuto, who had suddenly appeared right next to him.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, Bo! Where'd you put the kittens? And wash your hands first." Kuroo crinkled his nose in distaste, Bokuto choosing to ignore his latter comment and jerking his head towards the table which was now occupied by a small, paper basket. Kuroo raised a brow. "Isn't that the basket you had to make in Home Ec.?" Kuroo turned to Bokuto, watching the man groan as he confirmed Kuroo's observation. "Sure is! It's still crappy, but at least it has a use now." Kuroo shook his head but bumped his shoulder against Bokuto's. "Go wash your hands, nasty, and then you can help me search." Bokuto wrinkled his nose, his face looking mildly insulted before leaving. Kuroo continued to rummage through the pile, ignoring the cries of the kittens in the basket. 

* * *

"So I think we should bring them to a vet." Bokuto suddenly piped up, not taking his hands away from the kitten he had encompassed in his warm hands. His eyes were wide with curiosity and awe, eyes sparkling all the while. Kuroo looked at the kitten in Bokuto's hands before looking down at the two in his own. "It seems like a good idea, but I don't think we have enough money to even pay for one." Kuroo grimaced at the possible bill.

Bokuto frowned, a pout and a disappointed look filling his face. "I know, but still." "I think we should feed them first though." Bokuto nodded his head towards the bedheaded boy's direction, gently easing the kitten into Kuroo's hand before explaining when his eyes met Kuroo's semi inquisitive and semi annoyed expression. "I'm gonna bring my laptop down to learn how to raise new born kitties. I can't do it with one of them in my hand." This caused Kuroo to sigh and take the kitten (not like he was going to reject it in the first place). 

....

A mountain load of research later, a rather long problem with finding baby droppers and feeding kittens milk later, Bokuto found a piece of information that caused him to pale. "Kuroo..." Kuroo looked up inquisitively at his friend. "Cow's milk does not give kittens the amount of nutrition they need and gives them diarrhea, which is dangerous for young kittens..." Bokuto read aloud, watching Kuroo's faze freeze. Said man slowly moved his sight from the spiky haired youth in front of him to the kittens in his hands. "Shit." Bokuto winced, "I know." "It says here that we should buy kitten formula, but if we can't find any we can use temporary formula." Kuroo nodded his head towards the information, expression thoughtful. "I think I saw a clinic a couple of blocks away, we can go there to see if they have formula."

Bokuto's stature straightened at the prospect, excited to finally have something right to do. "Cool! Let's go!" "Don't forget the box, Bo!" Kuroo sighed as the man put his laptop to sleep before skipping towards the box they had scavenged and filled with rags, carefully rearranging the cloth inside. Kuroo looked down at the kittens in his hands, his eyes couldn't help but zero in on the brown patch on one of the kitten's tail. "I'm really concerned for this one though, I think it has poop on its tail." Bokuto looked up before nodding sagely, allowing Kuroo to slowly place the kittens inside the box. "Let's go!" Bokuto cheered loudly, wincing when he realized how loud it sounded in the empty house.

..

Kuroo scanned the streets before he heard Bokuto excitedly exclaim a "There it is!" and haphazardly throw an arm out the window. "Bo, put your arm back in!" Kuroo hissed, swerving the car in an attempt to save Bokuto's arm from being severed by a passing car. Bokuto winced, hurriedly bringing his arm back in and protectively cradling the box the kittens were held in. "Sorry," He mumbled just as Kuroo pulled over.

Bokuto blinked as he noticed that the clinic was just about closed, the glass door being locked by a man with a motorcycle helmet who stood beside a woman. Taking a peek from the car's clock, he determined that they were lucky to have just caught the presumed vet from leaving, the clock glowing _8 pm_ with a vibrant green inside the dark car. Taking a peek under the cloth that he and Kuroo had covered the kitten's box in, Bokuto worriedly watched over the kittens, making sure they were warm and fine before Kuroo came over with the woman. "Show her Bo," Kuroo said, Bokuto hurriedly following the man's orders and flipping the rag over. "Oh, they're still newly born." The woman observed. Bokuto couldn't help but think of how obvious that fact was before he heard Kuroo and the woman leave his side of the car and, after unlocking, enter the clinic.

Kuroo walked into the clinic and mentally approved of the furnishing. It was neat and orderly, and it seemed like the clinic had been new. "You'll need to feed them kitten formula and feed it to them through a syringe." The woman said as she picked a small bag of powder before going to another part of the small clinic, Kuroo following the woman as he read the text on the packaging. "Indonesia huh? It's foreign." Kuroo absently remarked, noting that the text said to feed them every 5 hours. The woman demonstrated how to use the syringe before giving it to Kuroo and heading over to the front desk. The woman wrote on a slip of paper and Kuroo watched for a while before he was asked to write his signature on the paper and the price. "That'll be 600 Yen sir." Kuroo felt like a new whole would be ripped from his wallet.

Bokuto blinked, looking up from watching the kittens interact to see Kuroo bid the woman a grateful farewell with a charming smile before he entered the car, handing Bokuto the kitten supplies with a sigh. "You know how much those cost?" Bokuto hesitantly shook his head, a grimace already apparent on his face. "600 Yen." Bokuto winced, mumbling a 'sorry' and an 'I owe you' to Kuroo. "It's going to be a busy day, and we need sleeping schedules." Kuroo noted as he carefully steered the car, Bokuto checking in on the kittens frequently, every few minutes. "The internet said every 1 to 3 hours, so maybe 3?" "Think you could wake up for those hours?" Bokuto gave another grimace, mapping the feeding hours out.

"I'll ask my mom if she could feed them while I'm at school." Kuroo nodded his head, snatching a quick peak at the kittens before moving his eyes back to the road. "Bro I can't believe we fed them cow's milk." Bokuto groaned, slamming his body against the car seat as his hands kept the box steady in his lap. "Bro I know, I hope it doesn't affect them negatively." Kuroo replied, trying his best to get home quickly. "So we try feeding them when we get home, right?" Bokuto asked, lifting his head to Kuroo, hearing the man give off a thoughtful hum. "Yeah, we don't know how long they've gone without milk." Bokuto nodded an affirmative, going back to resolutely watching over the kittens.

....

"Kuroo, they won't eat!" Bokuto whined, holding a squirming kitten in one and a syringe in the other. "Maybe they just aren't hungry, Bo. We _did_ just feed them earlier." Kuroo frowned, looking up from his phone. Bokuto pouted but decided to put the kitten back into the box by the hot water bottle. "What do we do with the milk left in the syringe?" "Squirt it back into the container. It's still clean right?" Bokuto nodded, doing as he was told before screwing the container's cap on and moving to leave the room. Bokuto was glad to see his mother inside the kitchen cooking, though there had been quite a fuss when she first came home from shopping to find out that the two boys had suddenly adopted kittens. "Mom, I'll just leave the milk on the table, that's fine right?" Bokuto called, watching his mom give him a small smile and a nod before she continued cooking dinner.

Bokuto went over the the sink before twisting the knob open, cupping his hand under the running water and trying to pull the syringe up with only one hand like Kuroo had shown him earlier. Bokuto groaned, resorting to trying to fill the syringe in with both of his hands instead. He lightly lathered the outside of the syringe with soap before carefully washing it, making sure no soap was left before leaving it on the drying rack. "Mom, you remember the feeding hours right?" Bokuto asked curiously, watching his mom give another hum. "Yep! Feed them at 5, 8, 11, 2, and 4. 2 to 3 cc you said?" His mother asked, Bokuto nodding his head vigorously in confirmation. "Yeah! That's right!" "Then you don't have to worry about a thing, dear." Bokuto crowed happily before hugging his mom and kissing her cheek. "Thanks mom!" He exclaimed before turning and leaving the kitchen with a bounce in his step.

Returning back to the room, Bokuto saw Kuroo checking in on the kittens, a frown on his face. "What's wrong bro?" Bokuto asked, raising a curious eyebrow at Kuroo. "No, just thinking that they should be cleaner." Kuroo muttered with a crease in his brow, a slight turn of his lips showing his distaste. "One still has poop on it and has poop all over it's tail." Bokuto nodded his head thoughtfully. "The internet said not to give them a bath yet though!" "I know." Kuroo sighed before he closed the flap and took his jacket. "Anyways I have to go if I ever have a hope of catching the last train. See you later Bo." Kuroo grinned his trademark smirk, clapping Bokuto's hands with his before leaving, thanking Bokuto's mom for her hospitality and hearing Bokuto shout a 'safe trip!' from his bedroom window. Kuroo hoped that they would be able to successfully raise kittens this time.

"If anything." Bokuto thought as he gave the box of kittens a serious look, "I'll do anything to try and keep these kittens alive."

......

...

.

 

Kuroo woke up, his eyes blinking open groggily as his eyes registered the fact that it was still dark out and instinctively reached for his phone. Kuroo's eyes squinted at the bright glow of his phone before he realized he had a message. Kuroo sighed before turning his phone off, turning to his side and trying to go back to sleep. He couldn't help the insistent nagging in his head though. "What if they don't eat? They'll starve to death whether they want the milk or not." His thoughts seemed to echo before Kuroo gave a loud groan and reached for his phone once again, searching up on ways to feed a newborn kitten and copy pasting information to send to Bokuto as a long message later, the message still nicking his thoughts.

_"Tried feeding the kittens at 2 am they wouldn't eat_

_Poopy butt died bad timing"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "People used to die for no reason back then too." Bokuto's mother murmured calmly to her son as she buried the cat under the sun's warm heat. Bokuto didn't reply. He stuck the flowers he picked on the site where the kitten lay.

**Author's Note:**

> Raising kittens are no joke.


End file.
